RICHMOND, Va. –
Seven members of DLA Aviation’s Air Force team stepped aboard the USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) July 10 at Pier 14 in Norfolk, Virginia, for a guided tour they called “once in a lifetime.”
"We're always honored to demonstrate Navy operations across the services. When members of our Air Force team at DLA Aviation expressed interest in seeing how a United States Navy Aircraft Carrier functions, we were excited to arrange an onboard tour for them." said Navy Lt. Cmdr. Chris Anschuetz, a weapon system program officer within DLA Aviation’s Navy Customer Facing Division, who helped coordinate the visit. “It was truly a once in a lifetime experience.”
The tour offered a firsthand look at Navy logistics and shipboard operations while building cross-service appreciation.
“It gives these young Airmen the opportunity to see, not only the platform itself … which is massive and a modern engineering marvel in its own right; but a chance to see how their Navy counterparts execute and perform their logistics duties and responsibilities,” Anschuetz said. “They saw how Navy Sailors live and operate onboard an active US Naval vessel.”
The visit was made possible through coordination with Navy officers Cmdr. Travis Grayum, Cmdr. Dustin Martindale, Lt. Cmdr. Katherine Black, Ensign Ryan Ramirez and Anschuetz.
Participants from the Air Force team included Air Force Capt. Tyler Milam, Master Sgt. Stephanie Whitmore, Tech. Sgt. Charles Woodard, Tech. Sgt. Tequez Trent, Tech. Sgt. Moises Afanador-Santiago, and Tech. Sgt. Hope Curry – all part of the Air Force Customer Facing Division.
Commissioned in 1998, the USS Harry S. Truman is the U.S. Navy’s eighth Nimitz-class aircraft carrier. Measuring over 1,092 feet – more than three football fields long – the ship houses more than 5,000 sailors when fully staffed. It features two A4W nuclear reactors, can operate for over 20 years without refueling, and supports Carrier Air Wing One with the capacity to launch and recover aircraft at sea. Its flight deck spans more than 4.5 acres.
According to the Navy’s official command history, Truman and her strike group “saw the most combat of any Naval vessels since WWII” during their last deployment.
The 2.5-hour tour began at 2 p.m. and was led by Ramirez and facilitated by Anschuetz and other Truman crew members.
Ramirez guided the tour that included the bridge, berthing and supply areas. For the visitors – most of whom had never set foot on a carrier – the experience left a lasting impression.
Highlights included the ship’s bridge and observing “the movement of materials (food, parts, gear etc…) that are all done with Sailors and minimal automation onboard,” Anschuetz said.
The Airmen, more accustomed to climate-controlled warehouses and sprawling flightlines, got a boots-on-steel look at how the Navy handles logistics in motion.
The Airmen also had the chance to “grip the helm” of the vessel.
“Everyone enjoyed taking turns ‘driving the ship’ or placing their hands on the helm, looking off into the distance,” Anschuetz said.
Discussions between the Air Force team and the crew touched on roles, morale and staying connected with family.
When asked to sum up the experience, Anschuetz said, “It was a mix of culture shock and amazement!”
According to a trip report from Capt. Tyler Milam, the visit served as a professional development opportunity to deepen understanding of naval history and power projection, enhance inter-service collaboration, and foster professional relationships critical to joint force operations.
The group toured the bridge, flight deck, berthing areas, and various supply spaces, with an emphasis on the operations of the ship’s supply department — including divisions s-1 through s-8.
According to Milam, discussions included storage and galley support, administrative reporting procedures, and observations of deployed life and operational tempo.
The tour culminated in a visit to the aviation aircraft parts stores, where the group reviewed tactical procedures for the receipt, storage, and issue of parts.
Milam noted that this portion of the visit helped link DLA Aviation’s mission to fleet readiness, showing how aviation logistics supports air superiority and carrier operations.
“The USS Truman visit provided a deep perspective on the immense logistics supporting ‘floating cities,’ underscoring DLA Aviation’s critical role in ensuring sailor readiness,” Milam wrote.
He added that the experience reinforced “critical interdependencies” and better prepared broadeners for operating in joint environments.
“Fantastic tour yesterday onboard HST, and the Supply Department onboard definitely brought the energy!” Anschuetz said. “The Air Force team and I greatly appreciate the effort that went into organizing the tour. The Truman Sailors who welcomed us were clearly excited to showcase their Navy expertise and answer our questions. It was a well-planned and comprehensive experience, and our Air Force colleagues were still discussing it on the drive home!”
But beneath the wow factor and steel bulkheads, the takeaway was strategic: this was logistics in action, afloat.